This invention relates to maintenance and service of wheels, brake drums, bearings and the like on automotive trucks, buses and other large vehicles and more particularly to an apparatus and method for removing and replacing vehicle wheels onto such vehicles.
The method and apparatus disclosed permits a wheel to be drawn off an axle and away from an axle assembly and controls the wheel so that it is aligned with the axle for replacement of the wheel on the axle assembly with minimal effort.
Vehicle brake drums must be occasionally removed from the axle of a vehicle to inspect and service the condition of the brake drum, brake shoes, seals and bearings. It is very important that the drum be permitted to tilt to a convenient position for inspection and service and then swung back into alignment with the axle. It is also important for the wheel to be held in alignment with the axle while it is being replaced.
Several long existing problems are associated with the removal and reinstallation of wheels on the axles of trucks, vans and other types of vehicles. Truck wheels are relatively heavy, often weighing over one hundred pounds. The rear portion of the cylindrical body of a convention brake drum is largely hollowed out to form a cylindrical cavity which slides over the brake shoes carried on the spindle of a wheel axle assembly. As a consequence, the greater proportion of the weight of a truck brake drum is located forwardly toward the hub and lug bolts of the brake drum. This weight unbalance and the substantial weight of the drum makes it very difficult for a mechanic to pull the wheel drum off of a truck spindle without permitting the drum to tilt upwardly or downwardly and damage bearings or bearing seals in the drum. Brake drum bearing seals are generally always replaced when a truck brake drum is removed from a spindle. Applicant's tool holds the wheel in alignment with the axle for replacement. U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,823, for example, provides a wheel jack to carry the removed wheel. The jack and wheel may be carried on a rough or uneven surface and the wheel will not be in alignment with the axle after removal and will be difficult to replace.
The invention relates to brake drum tools that permit a brake drum to be removed from the spindle of an axle assembly without damaging bearings or bearing seals carried inside the brake drum. The tool maintains alignment of the wheel and spindle for replacement. In still another respect, the invention relates to a brake wheel maintenance apparatus. The apparatus materially reduces the time required to remove a wheel and a brake drum from the spindle of a wheel axle assembly to replace bearings and seals in the drum, and, required to reinstall the brake drum on the spindle.